Russia mourns flood victims, local officials blamed

Relatives and friends of Petr Ostapenko, 35, who was reportedly killed while rescuing people during the recent floods, mourn at his grave at a cemetery of the town of Krymsk in the southern Russian Krasnodar region, on July 9, 2012.

Eduard Korniyenko / Reuters

Acquaintances of World War Two veteran Valentin Markozov, 92, mourn during his funeral ceremony at the central cemetery of Krymsk on July 9, 2012.

Monday has been declared a national day of mourning in Russia. Families of the flood victims were beginning to bury the dead in the hard-hit town of Krymsk, where torrential rain and flooding turned streets into swirling muddy rivers, inundated thousands of homes and forced people to flee from their beds in the middle of the night. Nearly 19,000 people have lost all their belongings. Read the full story.